Chapter 2486 Come on
Old Zhou received the gifts from Manbao and Baishan, and the servant who followed him in also took out Mr. Zhuang's note and received it. After loading everything into the car, they were about to leave, but Old Zhou still waited for the old man. After he came out, they went out of the imperial city side by side in two cars.
The old man envied him and asked, "Have you harvested the land on your farm in autumn?"
Old Zhou said, "We've harvested most of it, but there's still some left. It won't be long. After the Mid-Autumn Festival, we'll be able to harvest it all in a few days."
"Will the weather be good this year?"
Old Zhou almost smiled as he said, "It was a little dry when we were just transplanting the rice, but it rained soon after. It can be considered a favorable weather."
The old man's family is also a landlord, but they are small landlords. Although he does not go to the fields himself, he still goes to watch the farmhands and tenants working on the land every year, so he is very familiar with farming.
"What a good harvest! After the Mid-Autumn Festival, your family will have another big income."
"Oh, don't you have one at home?"
"How can our family compare to yours?" the old man said, "The official land of our boy is managed by the Ministry of Revenue, and he only receives a fixed rent every year."
Old Zhou suggested, "Why don't you just apply to run your own business?"
The old man shook his head. "My family is not like yours. I only have two sons. One is an official, and the other is still studying. It's not easy to manage the official land, so it's better to just take the rent."
Otherwise, why would he envy Old Zhou so much?
It was because his daughter was promising and he had many sons. No matter how much his daughter conquered in the front, there were always people behind to defend it.
After leaving the imperial city, the old man said goodbye to Old Zhou. He and Old Zhou went in different directions. His son rented a two-story courtyard on the edge of the inner city, while Zhou's house was on the third block out of the imperial city. Just walk forward and turn right for a while, and it was very close.
They are all outsiders. His son even arrived in the capital a year earlier than their daughter, but they already have houses.
Old Zhou returned home with everyone's envious gazes on his face. He ordered his servants, "Quickly deliver Mr. Zhuang's festival gift to his yard."
He also picked out several things from Manbao's holiday gift and put them together, as a gift from Manbao to Mr. Zhuang.
The Zhou family respects Mr. Zhuang the most, because everyone knows that if Mr. Zhuang had not taught Manbao to read, Manbao would never have made it this far in his life.
The Bai family received the holiday gift. Old Madam Liu asked about what extra things Old Zhou had given to Mr. Zhuang, and then she smiled and added the same thing.
When Manbao and the other three returned home from work or school, their family was already bustling with preparations for the festival.
Manbao helped Mr. Zhuang into the house, while Baishan and Bai Erlang carried their things behind them. Mrs. Lu went out and saw them and smiled. "Mr. Zhuang and Manbao are back. Sir, let's have dinner together tonight. My mother-in-law said the food is in the main hall."
Mr. Zhuang asked with a smile, "How many tables do we need to set up?"
"We'll set up five tables," said Mrs. Lu. "We've also invited Mr. and Mrs. Bai over. We'll all have a reunion dinner together tonight. We have a lot of children, so we'll eat separately to avoid them making too much noise."
Today is the 13th, so everyone will have a reunion dinner together. Then on the 14th, everyone will have their own meals. As for the 15th, of course, we will go out and play.
Living in the capital, especially in the inner city, it would be a shame not to go to see the lantern market and celebrate the Mid-Autumn Festival with other people.
Mr. Zhuang even invited his colleagues to go out for dinner, drinks and poetry that day.
In fact, Bai Shan also had some appointments, all of them were people from the Hanlin Academy. He couldn't refuse directly, so he decided to go around that day to get some money and then leave. There was no other way, having too many friends was also a trouble.
Zhou Man didn't have such worries. "We in the Imperial Hospital rarely have social events outside."
Bai Shan glanced at Manbao and said, "No, they have an appointment, they just didn't invite you."
It’s just like how Zhao Liulang and his friends never invite her along when they go to Chunfeng Tower for social events.
The two kitchens prepared the food together. After the menu was specified, one kitchen was responsible for a few dishes. Therefore, the food was cooked quickly and was still hot when served. The steamed meat made by Xiao Qian was especially delicious, with a strong meaty aroma.
Qian, Little Qian and a few others were at the same table with Old Madam Liu, Zheng and Mrs. Bai. There was no place for Manbao at all, so she had to turn around and sit with Bai Shan and the others.
Bai Dalang was the oldest and took the lead in picking up a piece of steamed pork with rice flour and handed it to Bai Erlang. He said kindly, "Erlang, you have an exam next month, so eat more today."
Bai Erlang also picked up a piece of meat for him and said, "Brother, you should eat more too. I heard that you were only two places away from making the list last year."
Last year, there were only twelve successful candidates. Generally, those who failed would not be ranked, but the Imperial College had connections, so they inquired about the students' answers. One of the examiners said that it was a pity for Bai Dalang because he was only two places away from passing the exam.
However, Bai Dalang was not very sad, because there was someone in front of him who was even more miserable and was only one place away from being selected. That person was called Wang Yi, a student of the Imperial College and in the same class as Bai Dalang. When the news came out, both of them almost vomited blood.
But Bai Dalang didn't vomit in the end because he saw Wang Yi in an even more miserable state.
Bai Shan and Man Bao saw it and immediately served them various kinds of meat, filling up their bowls. "You should eat more. You all need to work hard this time and strive to pass the exam."
Bai Shan felt that Bai Dalang shouldn't have any problems, because he almost passed the exam last year. After a year of experience, he should be even better, and...
Bai Shan lowered his voice and said, "There will be more places for the imperial examination this year than last year."
The number of scholars selected each year is different. The number of Jinshi is calculated by the Ministry of Personnel based on the existing data and changes in the officialdom from last year to this year.
For example, after the line of King Yizhou was liquidated, the number of Jinshi selected in the first and second imperial examinations was more than in previous years, because the losses in the officialdom had to be filled.
Bai Shan walked in front of the emperor and often heard the adults discuss these matters with him. He knew a lot of inside information, but he also knew what he could say and what he could not say.
When it comes to the imperial examination, this is all the encouragement he can offer.
Bai Dalang and Bai Erlang understood what he meant and did not continue the topic, but they were very excited. The more talents they recruited, the greater their chances would be. Bai Erlang, in particular, felt a little uneasy because he knew himself and was far behind his elder brother.
Zhou Lijun was also sitting at the same table with them. Seeing that they had finished their conversation, she started talking about her own topic, "Auntie, I've found a shop in the East Square that I'd like to buy."
Manbao was startled and asked, "Is the shop there very expensive?"
Zhou Lijun nodded. "I've been talking for a long time, but I still need 8,670 taels. Even a tael less won't do."
Bai Shan and the others were also shocked and asked, "What kind of shop is so expensive?"
"It's mainly in Dongfang. That street sells silk, rouge and powder. The famous silver shops in the capital are also there, so it's very expensive."
Manbao asked: "What are you buying it for?"
See you at 9pm
(End of this chapter)
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